A country drive on a sunny afternoon set my memory gears in motion. While cruising past fields of amber grain in Lenawee, Fulton, and Williams counties, stories my grandmother Mary Perkins told me became as clear as the crystal blue sky.

This was the time of year when grandma was the "hostess with the most-est." Her family dinners were always legendary on Sundays, Christmas, Easter, and just about any time we gathered around the big round table in the dining room. But the threshing dinner was special because it involved the neighbors, making it a social event where she was challenged to do her very best -- almost as if in competition with other women in the neighborhood who set out their own threshing dinners each July and August when the work crew came to their farms.

The long tables were set out on the front lawn of the farm house in Rome Township in Lenawee County. Usually 20 men came to do the threshing. Compared to the way we entertain now, that is not a huge crowd, but remember that was before refrigeration, packaged foods, and paper plates and cups. The meals were the essence of scratch cooking, with fresh ingredients ,and it wasn't just one meal for the field crew. The men also expected a 4 o'clock lunch.

What do you suppose the women helping in the kitchen talked about? Because they arrived early in the day and stayed until the dishes were done, they shared many hours of visiting time. We can be certain they did not discuss dieting and cholesterol and carbohydrates. Their concern was to feed the men and children well, without consideration of fat and calorie counts. Hard, physical work on the farm by both men and women prevented weight gain from a rich diet.

The first call from the dinner bell was just before noon so the men had time to wash up before filling their plates. There was little time to waste before getting back to the fields. There was such haste at the mid-day meal that the women did not serve chicken on the bones because they wouldn't have time to eat it. Likewise, the fresh corn on the table was creamed because it was faster to consume than corn on the cob.

I am certain the foods at the Perkins dinner were mostly from the garden and the dirt cellar, where home-canned goods were stored.

The tables were laden with sweets and savories; bowls of mashed potatoes and grandma's famous thick, wide noodles swimming in rich chicken gravy. There were platters of chicken pulled from the bone and succulent beef that was canned in two-quart jars on butchering day. Fresh from-the-garden leaf lettuce was dressed with homemade boiled dressing, and tart slaw made up the second salad.

Both hickory and walnut trees are in the yard at my home at Posey Lake. But, do I go to the work of cracking and picking out the nutmeats to use in baking as my grandmother did? The answer is no. Her hickory nut cake was a thin white cake loaded with buttery nuts and the black walnuts were often stirred into the frosting for a spice cake. I want to believe both were on the threshing day sweet table. Surely there was a wide choice of fruit, mince, and elderberry pies with short crusts made with lard. Not all of the prepared sweets were set out for the mid-day meal. Several were held back for the 4 o'clock lunch and with them chances are good grandma added some of her greasy fried cakes made with mashed potatoes.

Add corn relish and pickled peaches from the cellar larder to the list of savories. If the Perkins family had ever attempted to put a food product on the retail market, it would have been pickled peaches, which are also called spiced peaches. I prepared two batches of the peaches simmering in a cinnamon and cloves syrup last week after getting caught up in Grandma Perkins food lore. I must admit they are almost as good as I remember. A few pints of corn relish will be my next project to keep the family memory files alive. Like the peaches, the relish is a delicious use of home-grown summer produce that can put a new spin on old fashioned goodness.

Mary Alice Powell is a retired Blade food editor. Contact her at: mpowell@theblade.com.

Pickled Peaches

4 pounds medium peaches, preferably freestone

4 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 pint cider vinegar

2 tablespoons or more whole cloves

5 cinnamon sticks, broken to 3 inch pieces

Prepare peaches by pouring scalding water over them in a bowl. Wait a few minutes until the skins slip off easily. The peaches are left whole with pits.

Combine sugar, water, and vinegar and bring to a boil. Stick a clove into each prepared peach. Add peaches to boiling syrup and cook a few minutes but be careful not to overcook or they will become soft.

Spoon peaches into sterile jars; add 2 or 3 cinnamon sticks to each jar before pouring syrup to within 1/2 inch of top. Process in hot water bath 10 minutes to seal. Or just keep refrigerated in containers to enjoy fresh and give to friends.

 

Corn Relish

6 ears sweet corn

2 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper

3/4 cup chopped red pepper

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup white sugar

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon celery seed

1 tablespoon mustard seed

Cut kernel from corn, scraping cobs to release juice.

Mix corn with tomatoes, peppers, and onion. Combine sugar, vinegar, salt and seeds. Pour over corn and vegetables. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for about an hour. Transfer to sterile jars and refrigerate until using.

First Published July 31, 2011, 4:15 a.m.